The Handbook of Political Behavior

In the writing of prefaces for works of this sort, most editors report being faced with similar challenges and have much in common in relating how these challenges are met. They acknowledge that their paramount ob­ jective is to provide more than an overview of topics but rather to offer selective critical reviews that will serve to advance theory and research in the particular area reviewed. The question of the appropriate audience to be addressed is usually answered by directing material to a potential audience of social scientists, graduate students, and, occasionally, ad­ vanced undergraduate students. Editors who are confronted with the problem of structuring their material often explore various means by which their social science discipline might be subdivided, then generally conclude that no particular classification strategy is superior. In elabo­ rating on the process by which the enterprise was initiated, editors typ­ ically resort to a panel of luminaries, who provide independent support for the idea and then offer both suggestions for topics and the authors who will write them. Editors usually concede that chapter topics and content do not reflect their original conception but are a compromise between their wishes and the authors' expertise and capabilities. Editors report that inevitable delays occur, authors drop out of projects and are replaced, and new topics are introduced. Finally, editors frequently con­ fess that the final product is incomplete, with gaps occurring because of failed commitments by authors or because authors could not be secured to write certain chapters.

1 Political Disaffection.- Recent Trends in Disaffection.- The Theory of Political Alienation.- Images of Alienation.- Conceptualization and Measurement of Political Discontent.- Measures of Political Alienation.- Origins and Correlates.- Social Class.- Age.- Race.- Region.- Party Identification.- Sex and Marital Status.- Community Size and Length of Residence.- And So On.- The Effects of Political Socialization.- Explaining the Recent Trends.- Political Alienation and Political behavior.- Attitudinal Correlates.- Behavioral Effects.- Conclusion.- References.- 2 Sociopolitical Movements.- The Study of Sociopolitical Movements.- Theories of the Social Origins of Movements.- Breakdown or Structural-Functionalist Theories.- Social Psychological Theories.- Conflict Theories.- Mobilization, Recruitment, and the Problem of Consciousness.- Movement Organizations and the Problem of Movement Transformation.- The Strategy and Tactics of Movements.- The Dynamics of Conflict and the Outcome of Challenges.- References.- 3 Public Opinion and Ideology.- The Concept of Public Opinion.- History.- Definition.- Measurement.- The Individual Basis of Opinions.- Psychological Explanations.- The Role of Political Socialization.- The Role of Social Characteristics.- Ideology in Mass Preferences.- Ideological Conceptualization.- Constraints among Opinions.- Awareness and Other Indicators of Ideology.- Conclusions and Implications.- Patterns and Trends in Contemporary American Opinion.- Economic Issues.- Social Issues.- International Affairs.- Overall Trends.- Public Opinion and Public Policy.- References.- 4 Political Participation.- Conceptualizing Political Participation.- Decisions about Participation.- Inputs and Outtakes.- Modes of Participation.- Factors Antecedent to behavior.- Political Participation as a Function of Stimuli.- Political Participation as a Function of Personal Factors.- Participation as a Function of Attitudes and Beliefs.- Participation as a Function of Personality.- Political Participation as a Function of Social Position.- Social Position at the Center or Periphery of Society.- Socioeconomic Status (SES) or Class.- Place of Residence.- Organizational Involvement.- Community Identification.- Age.- Variations by Sex.- Race.- Political Participation as a Function of Environmental Variables.- The Level of Modernization.- Modernization and Political Violence.- Rules of the Game.- The Party System.- What Difference Does Political Participation Make?.- References.- 5 Mass Communication and Politics.- Origins and Background of Contemporary Research.- Propaganda Analysis.- Attitude Change Research.- The Voting Studies.- Government and the Press.- The Communication Sciences.- The Political Media of Mass Communication.- Dimensions of the Mass Communication-Politics Relationship.- Campaigns and Electoral Politics.- Mass Communication and Political Socialization.- Mass Communication, Political Images, and Public Opinion.- Government and the News Media.- Mass Communication and Public Policy.- Methodological Considerations.- Rhetorical Analysis.- Content Analysis.- Experimental Research.- Survey Research.- Intensive Analysis.- Linguistic Analysis.- Theoretical Approaches.- Micro Perspectives.- Macro Perspectives.- Politics and Communication, or Political Communication?.- References.- 6 The Rise and Fall of ‘Political Development’.- ‘Political Development’: What Is It?.- Is It a Word?.- Has It a Meaning?.- What Is Its Etiology?.- ‘Political Development’: What Happened to It?.- Some Historical Background.- The Period of Incubation.- Attempts at Conceptual Ordering.- The Denouement.- ‘Political Development’: What Are Its Meanings?.- From Autonym to Conceptualizations.- The Compilation of Concepts.- The Requisite Variables.- Changes in the Decision-Making Process: Expansion of Choice.- The Outcome Variables.- Conclusion.- References.